Volunteers are needed at the children's garden at Tancil Court to help elementary school-aged youth develop an appreciation for the fun of growing their own food. Volunteers help children plant, cultivate, harvest and sometimes prepare a variety of healthy vegetables. The commitment is for one hour on Tuesdays between 3:30-5 p.m. For additional information, contactCarrie Fesperman Redden.

·From time to time on Thursday, February 16 the following streets will be closed intermittently to facilitate movement of the funeral procession and participants:

o Janneys Lane from King Street to Quaker Lane

o Seminary Road from Quaker Lane to Kenmore Avenue

o Van Dorn Street from Seminary Road to Braddock Road

o Braddock Road from Van Dorn Street to North Howard Street

o King Street from Scroggins Lane to Russell Road

·Public parking will be available at the Victory Center, 5001 Eisenhower Avenue.Safety personnel parking, specifically for Honor Guard and Color Guards will be reserved at the Hoffman Center Lot, at Eisenhower Avenue, and Stovall Street.

·The Alexandria Fire Department will be going out of service from 7 p.m. on Wednesday, February 15, until 7 p.m. on Friday, February 17. All Alexandria Fire Stations will be fully staffed by our regional partners at no cost as part of our mutual aid agreements. Residents will continue to receive the same high quality services provided by the Alexandria Fire Department.

·Governor Robert F. McDonnell executed a flag authorization for the City of Alexandria and Arlington County and for the state Capitol building in Richmond.This order authorizes that the flag of the Commonwealth of Virginia is to be flown at half-staff over the state Capitol building and in Alexandria and Arlington in respect and memory of Joshua A. Weissman who gave his life in the line of duty.

If you haven’t already done so, please consider taking a few minutes to complete this annual VDOE survey that reports on how well our school facilitate parent involvement.

2011 - 2012 VA Dept of Education

Special Education Parent Involvement Survey

All parents of school-aged children and youth who receive special education services are encouraged to complete the Virginia Department of Education Annual Special Education Parent Involvement Survey (link below). This survey is not intended to measure satisfaction with the special education program. It is designed to determine whether or not the school facilitated parent involvement. The English and Spanish versions of the survey have been combined into one survey with both languages.

If you are unable to take the survey online, please contact the Parent Resource Center atprc@fcps1.org or 540-422-7116 to obtain a paper copy or access to a computer. All paper versions of the survey will include a pre-addressed postage paid return envelope. All responses will be sent directly to the Virginia Department of Education.

Museums: On Monday, February 20, the day of the George Washington Birthday Parade in Alexandria, several Historic Alexandria sites will be hosting special open houses with free admission:

Gadsby’s Tavern Museum, 134 N. Royal St., and the Stabler-Leadbeater Apothecary Museum, 105-107 S. Fairfax St., will both be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Friendship Firehouse Museum, 107 S. Alfred St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, 201 S. Washington St., will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visitors may tour these historic sites for free on this day.

Parking: The Alexandria Police Department will suspend enforcement of parking restrictions at metered spaces, as well as time restrictions in residential permit parking districts and other areas with signed parking time limits.

Recreation Centers: Alexandria recreation centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., except Chinquapin Recreation Center, which will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Refuse Collection: Residential refuse and recycling will not be collected on February 20. Collection services will be delayed by one day during the week of February 20. The Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collections Drop-off Center will be closed on February 20.

Schools: The Alexandria City Public Schools will be closed.

State Offices: The General District Court, the Circuit Court, and the Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court will all be closed. In addition, the DMV Office at 2681 Mill Rd. will be closed.

Transit: Alexandria Transit Company’s DASH bus service will operate on a Saturday schedule. For the George Washington Birthday Parade, on February 20, DASH will be running a continuous, free, shuttle from the Eisenhower Metrorail Station to Prince and Washington Streets beginning at 11 a.m. with the last shuttle departing Prince and William Streets at 4 p.m. to return to the Eisenhower Metro. The parade begins at 1 p.m. The DASH shuttle does not stop at the King Street Metrorail Station. For more DASH information, visit www.dashbus.com.

Trolley: The free King Street Trolley will use a detour route from the 100 block of N. Washington Street to the Metro Station during the parade. Once the parade ends and King Street is reopened, the trolley will return to its normal route. Though the trolleys will be on a 15-minute schedule, there is a possibility that there could be delays due to heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

Eastbound trolleys starting from the Metro station will proceed down King Street, turn left onto the 100 block of North Washington Street (last stop). The trolley will stop at the Metro Station, King & Diagonal, King & Peyton, King & Fayette, King & Patrick, King & South Columbus, and the 100 block of North Washington Street.

Westbound trolleys starting from the 100 block of North Washington will proceed on North Washington and turn left onto Princess Street. From Princess Street, trolleys turn left onto North Columbus Street, turn right onto King Street and proceed to the Metro Station. The trolley will stop at the 100 block of North Washington, North Columbus & King, King & Patrick, King & Fayette, King & Peyton, King & Diagonal, and proceed to the Metro Station.

Trash and Recycling CollectionDue to the President’s Day holiday on February 20th, residents are reminded that trash and recycling will be picked up one day later during this week than regularly scheduled.Regular collection dayHoliday collection dayMonday Tuesday
Tuesday Wednesday
Wednesday Thursday
Thursday Friday

Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics CollectionThe Household Hazardous Waste and Electronics Collection drop-off center will be closed on Monday, February 20th for the holiday.

Normal hours of operation are every Monday and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. located at 3224 Colvin Street.

Alexandria City Manager Proposes $585.6 Million General Fund Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2013

FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA:

News Highlights

On February 14, Alexandria City Manager Rashad Young proposed a $585.6 million General Fund Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2013.
The proposed operating budget includes no tax rate increases of any kind, and maintains core services (education, public safety, public infrastructure and transportation) without making major reductions in other service areas.
The Capital Improvement Program proposes $1.1 billion in capital investment over the next 10 years, prioritizing maintenance of existing facilities and infrastructure, and providing funding for a new Fire Station in Eisenhower Valley.
The proposed budget General Fund tax rate will remain at 99.8 cents per $100 of assessed value. The City’s real estate tax base grew by 3.4%; on a calendar year basis, the average homeowner would pay approximately 1.2% or $52 more than last year, which is less than the rate of inflation.

More Information

www.alexandriava.gov/Budget
In the proposed budget, total spending increases by 3.3% ($18.7 million) from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2012 approved budget. Within that budget, the operating budget transfer to the Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) would also increase by 3.3% ($5.8 million) from last year’s approved budget, in keeping with the City Council’s guidance that the transfer to the Schools for operating expenses increases at the same percentage rate as total General Fund revenues. The budget for City operations increases 2.7% ($8.5 million). The FY 2013 budget reflects the guidance set by the public and City Council in the Strategic Plan adopted in June 2010, and the specific budget guidance provided by City Council last November. As part of closing a $14.4 million funding gap identified last fall, about $6.8 million was cut from the City’s budget, including 27 City positions.

“The proposed budget—built using the City’s strategic plan to guide our decisions and shaped by City Council’s guidance—maintains Alexandria’s core services without making major reductions in other service areas,” said City Manager Rashad Young. “City government will continue to deliver efficient and effective services to the community as we continue to emerge from the tough economic times of the last several years.”

Core services to maintain, and in limited cases, expand, are education, public safety, transportation, and public infrastructure.

The $18.7 million increase in the City Manager’s proposed budget

Allocates an additional $5.8 million for public schools (an increase of 3.3% from last year’s approved budget), which slightly exceeds the amount requested by the Schools Superintendent.
Provides an additional $5.6 million for the Fire Police, Sheriff, and Emergency Communications departments. This amount includes funding to prepare for the opening of a new Fire Station and represents a collective 4.7% increase for the four public safety departments.
Provides an additional $2.6 million (a 4.4% increase) in support of the Capital Improvement program (CIP) and maintenance of public infrastructure.
Provides an additional $1.8 million for increased operating support for transit operations, including funds for the regional Metrorail and bus systems, and for the City’s local DASH bus system—an 11.1% increase.

City Council will host six work sessions to review the proposed budget with City staff, and two work sessions to make final decisions. These sessions are open to the public and will be recorded and posted online. The public may submit comments online, or speak at a budget public hearing on Monday, March 5, at 4 p.m. and a tax rate public hearing on Saturday, April 14, at 9:30 a.m. The Operating Budget and Capital Improvement Program are scheduled for adoption by the Alexandria City Council on May 7, 2012. Details about the public meetings, proposed budget, and online comments are located at alexandriava.gov/Budget.

Traffic is expected to be substantially impactedbetween 10 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Thursday as the following streets will be closed intermittently for the funeral service. We ask that community members avoid these areas if possible and be patient with delays during this event.

The memorial processional and services are expected to bring more than 200 fire vehicles and more than 2,000 people into Alexandria. Community members should avoid these areas if possible and be patient with delays during this event.

Street Closures & Potential Traffic Impacts

From time to time during the day, the following streets will be closed to facilitate movement of the funeral procession and the participants:

Janney’s Lane from King Street to Quaker Lane

Seminary Road from Quaker Lane to Van Dorn Street

Van Dorn Street from Seminary Road to Braddock Road

Braddock Road from Van Dorn Street to King Street

King Street from Braddock Road and Quaker Lane to Russell Road

School Early Dismissals

Alexandria City Public Schools will alter dismissal times to ensure that students can safely leave school and be transported to their afterschool destinations in the midst of road closures and unprecedented traffic.

George Washington and Hammond Middle schools, Minnie Howard School, T.C. Williams High School and Douglas McArthur Elementary will dismiss at 12:35 p.m.

The City has coordinated with Campagna Center after care programs and Power-On /Power-Up after care programs at City recreation centers to provide child care for families currently enrolled in these programs. In addition, recreation centers at Charles Houston, Cora Kelly, William Ramsay, Patrick Henry, Mount Vernon, Charles Barrett, Nannie Lee, and John Adams will be open immediately following the early dismissal.

The City of Alexandria would like to thank the entire Alexandria community for their patience and flexibility as the Alexandria Fire Department pays tribute to Paramedic Joshua Weissman. For additional information, visitalexandriava.gov/LODDJWeissman or call 703.746.HELP.

February 21 Program in Alexandria Explores “Unknown No Longer” Database

During Black History Month, attend a free workshop in Alexandria to learn how to use Unknown No Longer: A Virginia Slave Name Database. This free database is the latest step by the Virginia Historical Society to increase access to its varied collections relating to Virginians of African descent. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, February 21, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at The Lyceum, Alexandria’s History Museum, 201 South Washington Street.

At this workshop, Dr. Lauranett Lee, Curator of African American History, and Paige Newman, Assistant Archivist, will highlight some of their research findings and provide tips on how to navigate the Unknown No Longer database. This workshop is currently the only one offered in Northern Virginia. Reservations are required, and space is limited. Register online atwww.vahistorical.org/news/unlworkshop_registration.htm.

Thanks to a generous grant from Dominion Resources and the Dominion Foundation in 2011, the Virginia Historical Society launched an online resource called Unknown No Longer: A Database of Virginia Slave Names. This is the first database that examines various documents and plantation records across all of slaveholding Virginia with a focus on Virginians of African descent.

Since its founding in 1831, the VHS has collected unpublished manuscripts, a collection that now numbers more than 8 million processed items. Unknown No Longer is an example of both the VHS’s and Dominion’s commitment to using technology to increase access to historical collections and their dedication to reaching out to a diverse constituency.

Funeral Arrangements for the Line of Duty Death of Alexandria Paramedic Joshua A. Weissman
Weissman_J_web

WHEN: Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012

WHERE: Alexandria, Virginia

WHO: Paramedic Joshua Weissman

WHAT: It is with great sadness that Alexandria Fire Chief Adam K. Thiel announced the death of Paramedic Joshua Weissman at 4:25pm on February 9. While responding to a car fire on Interstate 395 near Glebe Road on the evening of February 8, Paramedic Weissman fell from the roadway, where he suffered a severe head injury. He was rescued by City of Alexandria and Arlington County Firefighters and Paramedics, with assistance from the City of Alexandria and Arlington County Police Departments and the Virginia State Police. Despite valiant efforts by the medical team at the Washington Hospital Center, Paramedic Weissman’s injuries proved to be fatal. Funeral Arrangements for Alexandria Fire Department Paramedic Joshua Weissman are as follows:
Visitation
Wednesday, February 15, 2012